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Practical steps in creating a proper balance between work and home as a career woman

When we just got married, I had to resign from where I was working then because the company relocated from Lagos to Ogun State. So, I resorted to building my micro catering business which I ran from our home.

Along the line, pregnancy came, which made me reduce my commitment and even took some break on running the business.

After child birth, I got another job and continued building my career.

Building/running a home can be quite challenging and tiring on its own and combining it with a job/business makes it more demanding for a woman.

The economic situation, combined with many other factors have increased the need for families to seek multiple streams of income.

Being a working mother/wife does not go without its ups and downs. It requires great wisdom for a proper balance to be created between career and the home-front.

Women are great when it comes to multi-tasking.

There is virtually no free lunch in this life.

There is always a price for almost everything. However, for you to pay the right price in life, you need to learn how to prioritize rightly.

You can hardly eat your cake and still have it back. However, the practical steps given in this article could help you create a proper balance between your work and home-life as a career woman.

Practical Steps In Creating A Proper Balance Between Work And Home As A Career Woman:

Understand the phases of your life: The life of a woman is never static, rather, it is dynamic. It involves various phases such as career pursuit, wedding/marriage, pregnancy/child birth, parenting, etc. Different phases of your life require different approaches. Some phases of your life may require a slow-down or even a break from work/career. Understand the phases of your life and play along.

Prioritize rightly: Your priorities reflect your values. Know and draw your boundaries, especially between family time and work time. No matter how good it feels to pursue your career, family welfare and togetherness should always take priority over work. However, this does not mean that you neglect your work. Rather, it means that you don’t sacrifice your home/family at the alter of work. Prioritizing rightly as a woman could mean that there may be times when you may need to choose a lower paying but lesser time consuming job/business over a higher paying highly demanding job/business in order to create more time for your family.

Know your limit: Whether you realise it or not, everybody has a limit. You have to know your energy and capacity limit in order not to break down. Learn to take a break.

Ask for help: I am yet to see an award as “the workaholic of the universe”. So my dear, don’t kill yourself with work! Don’t hesitate to ask for help from your partner, family members and other verified sources if you need to. Don’t just assume that your partner knows where and how to help you. Ask him! Also, maximize the help from your children if available. Children can be of great help if you learn to integrate them early into doing house-chores and other errands. This not only teaches them responsibility, it also makes them to be better equipped to face life challenges.

Outsource where necessary: There is no rule that says you must be the one to do all that needs to be done. Concentrate your efforts on the tasks that need your attention most and learn to outsource those ones that could be outsourced.

Conserve your energy: It is not everything that is worth your attention and worry. Focus less on negative people and activities that drain out your positive energy. Choose your battles wisely. Learn to let go on somethings and don’t over beat yourself for your mistakes. Rather, take the lessons and move on!

Take care of yourself and health: You need to be healthy to properly balance work and home. So, eat healthy, exercise regularly, create time in-between to rest. Indulge yourself in your hobbies and other activities such as self-treat, prayer and meditation to rejuvenate and reduce stress. Don’t forget to get enough sleep!

Create regular fun dates and family fun time: Regularly create and organise some romantic get-away time with your partner for proper re-connection. Also, organise family fun time often. These help to ease stress and enhance family bonding.

We know that every woman’s situation is unique. So, we would love you to share with us at the comment section what works for you in creating a proper balance between your career and home-life.